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Religion · head to head

Elvanto vs Vanco

Elvanto logo

Elvanto

Religion

Church management with strong volunteer rostering, now owned by Tithe.ly

From
$72/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Vanco logo

Vanco

Religion

Electronic giving and ACH payment solutions for churches

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Elvanto tithe.ly owns both Elvanto and Breeze, two overlapping church management systems, and has directed most recent product investment towards Breeze and giving, so Elvanto buyers are betting on a product that is maintained rather than actively advanced.; Vanco gROW tier charges 2.90% plus $0.45 per debit or credit card transaction, and American Express is charged separately at 3.99% on both tiers
  • They diverge on capability: Elvanto covers Volunteer rostering, Vanco covers ACH Giving.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Elvanto and Vanco actually diverge.

Attributes where Elvanto and Vanco differ
AttributeElvantoVanco
Starting price$72/monthOn request
Pricing modelPer month by plantransaction
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Mobile app
FoundedUnknown1990

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Religion).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Elvanto

  • Volunteer rostering
  • Service planning
  • People and groups
  • Child check-in
  • Online giving
  • Forms and event registration
  • Multi-site support
  • Church website and app

Only in Vanco

  • ACH Giving
  • Credit Card Processing
  • Text-to-Give
  • Church Management Systems
  • Accounting Software
  • Fund Accounting
  • Web support
  • Mobile app support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Elvanto

  • A multi-site church rostering several hundred volunteers across campuses where double-booking is a weekly problemnot Vanco
  • A church outside the United States wanting a management system that was not designed solely around American church practicenot Vanco
  • A congregation replacing spreadsheets for service planning, song rotation and CCLI reportingnot Vanco
  • A church that wants management and online giving on one invoice rather than integrating two vendorsnot Vanco

Vanco

  • Online and mobile giving processing for churches and nonprofitsnot Elvanto

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Elvanto

  • Tithe.ly owns both Elvanto and Breeze, two overlapping church management systems, and has directed most recent product investment towards Breeze and giving, so Elvanto buyers are betting on a product that is maintained rather than actively advanced.
  • The advertised monthly price excludes card processing on donations, which for a church taking most giving online is the larger of the two costs and is set by the payment provider, not the licence.
  • The interface is functional but dated relative to Planning Center, and volunteer-facing screens draw complaints from occasional users who only log in to accept a roster.
  • Reporting is adequate for attendance and giving summaries but weak for pastoral care analysis and cohort tracking, so larger churches export to spreadsheets.
  • Support is documentation-and-ticket based with no phone line on the standard plan, which is difficult for a volunteer administrator troubleshooting check-in on a Sunday morning.

Vanco

  • GROW tier charges 2.90% plus $0.45 per debit or credit card transaction, and American Express is charged separately at 3.99% on both tiers
  • PCI non-compliance fee of $23.95 per month applies if a merchant does not maintain compliance, and Giving Insights costs an additional $75 per month on top of the base plan

Pricing, plan by plan

Elvanto

$72/month
  • Church Management + Giving$72/month
    • Full church management modules
    • Volunteer rostering and service planning
    • Child check-in
  • Church Management + Giving + Custom App$119/month
    • Everything in the base plan
    • Branded church mobile app
    • Push notifications

Vanco

On request
  • StandardFree
    • Payment processing
    • ACH payments (1.0% + $0.25)
  • Premium$149/month
    • Advanced tools
    • Dedicated support
    • Custom reporting

Which should you pick?

Choose Elvanto if

  • You need volunteer rostering.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want service planning.
Elvanto review

Choose Vanco if

  • You need ach giving.
  • You work on Web, Mobile app.
  • You also want credit card processing.
Vanco review

Questions people ask

Is Elvanto or Vanco better?
Neither clearly leads. Elvanto starts at $72/month and Vanco at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Elvanto or Vanco?
Elvanto starts at $72/month and Vanco at On request.
Does Elvanto or Vanco run on more platforms?
Elvanto runs on Web, iOS, Android. Vanco runs on Web, Mobile app.
What is Elvanto best used for?
Elvanto is most often used for a multi-site church rostering several hundred volunteers across campuses where double-booking is a weekly problem, a church outside the united states wanting a management system that was not designed solely around american church practice, a congregation replacing spreadsheets for service planning, song rotation and ccli reporting, a church that wants management and online giving on one invoice rather than integrating two vendors. Of those, a multi-site church rostering several hundred volunteers across campuses where double-booking is a weekly problem and a church outside the united states wanting a management system that was not designed solely around american church practice are not what Vanco is typically brought in for.
What can Elvanto do that Vanco cannot?
Elvanto covers Volunteer rostering, Service planning, People and groups, Child check-in. Vanco covers ACH Giving, Credit Card Processing, Text-to-Give, Church Management Systems.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Elvanto: Is Elvanto still being developed?

It is maintained and sold to new customers, but Tithe.ly also owns Breeze and has prioritised that product and its giving tools. Ask the vendor directly what is on the Elvanto roadmap before a multi-year commitment.

Vanco: Is there a monthly fee to use Vanco's online giving platform?

No monthly fee is required for the GROW plan, which is free. The THRIVE plan costs $54/month and includes lower transaction fees and additional features.

Source
Elvanto: What does it really cost?

$72 a month for management plus giving, or $119 with a branded app, plus payment processing on every donation charged by the provider. Budget the processing rate as the main variable cost.

Vanco: What are the processing fees on Vanco's THRIVE plan?

THRIVE plan charges 2.65% plus $0.39 per transaction for debit/credit cards, and 0.90% plus $0.39 per transaction for ACH transfers.

Source
Elvanto: Is it better than Planning Center for rostering?

For availability handling, clash detection and swap requests it is genuinely competitive. Planning Center is stronger on service and worship team workflow and has a larger integration ecosystem.

Vanco: Are there any contracts or cancellation fees with Vanco?

No contracts or cancellation fees apply to either the GROW or THRIVE plans.

Source
Elvanto: Can we migrate our data out?

Yes, exports are available, but rebuilding rosters, forms and check-in configuration in a new system is manual work regardless of the export.

Vanco: What happens if a church on the GROW plan doesn't go live within 30 days?

A $10 monthly fee is charged if the organization does not go live within 30 days on the GROW plan.

Source
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